Foxleigh is an unincorporated area in Manatee County, Florida, in the United States. Foxleigh was a grove ranch located along Upper Manatee Road and off State Road 64 in northeastern Manatee County. It began as Eagle Fruit Farms, its more familiar name, and was operated by Eagle Fruit Company.
History
In 1923, Sam Breadon (1876–1949), owner/president of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team entered into a partnership with William H. Anderson (1855–1938), a Cardinals stockholder to establish Eagle Fruit Company.The Bradenton Herald, June 29, 1931, www.newspapers.com Breadon was keen on farming and had recently chosen Bradenton as the spring training headquarters of the Cardinals. The partnership ended in 1934 when Breadon sustained a loss of $7,000 and subsequent time in court.St. Louis Globe-Democrat, February 8, 1934, www.newspapers.com The company was dissolved in 1935.St. Louis Globe-Democrat, February 14, 1935, www.newspapers.com
Missouri-based Gertrude Fox made the ranch her private estate when she purchased it in 1939, renaming it "Foxleigh".The Bradenton Herald, July 2, 1939, www.newspapers.com She ran a mink farm and was the author of books on fur making.St. Louis Globe-Democrat, May 5, 1935, www.newspapers.com.The Boston Globe, February 24, 1941, www.newspapers.com. Fox subsequently sold the property in 1945 to the Lee Company, and shortly after, a fire destroyed the farm.The Bradenton Herald, Oct. 10, 1945, www.newspapers.com. In 1948, the farm was put up for sale,The Bradenton Herald, January 4, 1948, www.newspapers.com. and Eagle Fruit Farms, Inc. name was officially dissolved.The Bradenton Herald, February 17, 1948, www.newspapers.com. A portion of the former ranch was sold off in 1952 for a planned dairy and cattle ranch.The Bradenton Herald, March 9, 1952, www.newspapers.com. In 1968, a legal notice in the Bradenton Herald listed the property as abandoned.The Bradenton Herald, August 13, 1968, www.newspapers.com. The property was developed and is part of the northeastern Manatee County area. As of 2021, the site is occupied by the Gates Creek subdivision.
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